Georgia manufacturing activity dropped slightly for January, marking the second consecutive month of manufacturing declines, the Econometric Center at Kennesaw State University’s Michael J. Coles College of Business reported Tuesday.

The Georgia PMI went down 3.9 points to 50 in January.

A PMI reading above 50 shows manufacturing activity is expanding, while a reading below 50 shows it is contracting.

Georgia’s new orders have signaled a slowdown in December and January. The new orders in January were down 4.4 points below their six-month average while production was eight points lower than its six-month average. This drop in new orders led to a downward adjustment in production and employment, said Don Sabbarese, director of the Econometric Center and professor of economics at Kennesaw State.

“Ironically, 57 percent of Georgia’s PMI respondents expect their production for the next three to six months to increase,” Sabbarese said. “While their response to this question is not used to calculate the PMI, it does suggest that the PMI should improve in the near future.”